The Greenwood Town: A Short Story in Acts
by GreatOverseer
Summary: John is the chief of the Greenwood Police Department (GPD). When a gangster threatens a distant relative of Shedletsky and he intervenes, he is thrust into a dangerous world of criminals. And it's all lead by one man: Doctor Slate. (TAKES PLACE IN DECEMBER 31 2012-JANUARY 1 2013, BEFORE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME)
1. ACT 1

John Derpston I woke up in his bed, in his room, in his city. His city was the Greenwood Town, which was a town in name only. The settlement had been founded in Grand Year 2011, and since substantial funding from Builderman had ballooned out into a massive sprawl (although smaller than Robloxity).

He was the chief of the Greenwood Police Department (GPD). He had one regulation-issue desert eagle, and a taser in case things got drastic. They often did in the Greenwood Town. John sat up from the bed, tossed the covers back, and propelled himself into the kitchen of his tiny apartment, which he shared with his roommate. Said roommate was currently frying something that smelled of tar on the stove.

"Hey," John said.

"Oh, hi," the roommate replied. His name was Diddles, and he was a used-weaponry salesman. Selling weapons as a civilian was legal in the Greenwood Town, as long as the sellers didn't cater to known criminals. Seeing as most criminals weren't known at first, the trade laws were full of loopholes you could drive a truck through.

"How's business, Diddles?" John asked.

"Good, good, nothin' special," Diddles responded.

'What d'you mean?"

"Well, I sold a few STEN SMGs yesterday for 20 grand."

"STENs? I thought those were illegal!"

"Ah, but these were apparently free of silencers or anything. No expanded magazine, no nothin'. Just a STEN. No bullets included, of course."

"You just pick these off the streets, don't you?"

"Yeah, so? What's wrong with that? It's legal as long as they don't have criminal mods on 'em."

"True," conceded John, "true. Well, I had to ask, 'cos I'm chief of the GPD and it's my job."

"Rrrright," Diddles said. He flipped something green and congealed out of the pan and back in. "Well, you just have a good day, then."

"You too." John exited the apartment. He walked down the long flight of stairs down the side of the high-rise, and when he landed lightly on the pavement from a broken step he was immediately greeted with what the GPD Handbook called a "combat situation".


	2. ACT 2

The two gangsters were standing outside a sedan, hounding the driver. They were holding Historic "Timmy" Guns, a distinctly illegal - but widely used - weapon

"Hey girl," said a gangster who wore neon yellow shutter shades and a hood. "The money's late. Pay up or we shoot you in the head."

"Yeah," said the other one, who wore a red cap with blond hair protruding from the sides.

"We're not afraid to get charges o' homicide," said Neon Shutter Shades. He proudly held up something. "Got thirty-three counts of homicide, meself."

"I got thirteen," said Red Cap. "But I'm learning, ain't I?"

"Yeah, say it like it is," Neon Shutter Shades said proudly.

The woman in the sedan protested, but the exact words were lost. It was, after all, a foggy morning in the Greenwood Town, and sound doesn't travel well in a foggy morning as anybody who has ever experienced a Seattle morning can attest to. The gangsters seemed not to like what the woman said, however.

"Money is money," said Neon Shutter Shades. "Cold hard currency: the most valuable substance in the world."

The woman said something else.

"Hey, we said to give us the money!" said Red Cap. "Your fee is late! We ain't lettin' you pass the Blox Bridge on our side if you don't pay the premium!"

Now the woman's vocals were sounding frantic. John walked over. He was off-duty (his badge was in his desk in the office) and thus the gangsters probably wouldn't object to a man in khaki inquiring what was going on. He tapped Neon Shutter Shades on the shoulder.

"Hey, what's goin' on, Chief?" he asked.

"Oh, girl don't pay the toll," said Neon Shutter Shades. "You can watch, man, if ya want. There'll be blood. It always 'appens."

"As a matter of fact, I'd like to comment that haranguing people on the way to the bridge is an offense punishable by twelve years in prison and a sizeable fine consisting of between 5 and 7 million Tix."

The silence was almost a solid thing, like a wall, which sadly did not divide John and the gangsters from each other, but confined them together.

"What did you say?" inquired Neon Shutter Shades, with an air of menace.

"Twelve years and a fine of between 5 and 7 Tix," repeated John. "Sorry, but it's the law."

"The law!," Red Cap scoffed. "The law can kiss my butt! We _are_ the law here!" He pulled out a short-barreled revolver. "Well, you and your law can die! Hands up!"

Neon Shutter Shades held up the Timmy Gun menacingly. "Don't try anything," he warned. "I'm serious. We're at our best today, but that's liable to change depending on events!"

"Right, right," said John. "Well, you can take my weapons. Start in the left pocket in my shirt. That's where the dangerous stuff is."

"..." said Neon Shutter Shades. "...I don't trust you, lawman. You're always up to your tricks."

He reached instead for the right pocket. The gangster's hand reached into the pocket. John slammed his hand down over the pocket. The taser inside crackled, and Neon Shutter Shades withdrew his hand in shock, crying in pain.

"AAAAUUUUGHHGHHHHHH!"

"Shoot him!,' screamed Red Cap.

"AAAAAUUUUUUU-"

"I said shoot him!," Red Cap screamed again as John stepped to the side. The crack of the revolver signified the bullet that had just missed him. "He's a slimy lawman!"

"-UUUUUUUGGGGG-"

John brought his elbow into Red Cap's side.

"GGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

Neon Shutter Shades collapsed, holding his burnt hand and whimpering. Red Cap turned, revolver still in hand, hammer cocked back. He pointed it at John. But John hit him in the shoulder, took out his taser, and with the tip crackling with static slammed it into Red Cap's other side.

The woman in the sedan looked at John as Red Hat fell, unconscious.

"Mmm," she said. It was one of those declarations of interest that radiated high-born-ness and a regal upbringing. The woman wore a broad-brimmed red had, and had blonde hair that fell to her back and spilled over her shoulders. She seemed to be wearing a crimson dress with spaghetti straps and gilt embroidery. "Who are you?"

"John, ma'am," said John, bowing. "I assume you're of the upper-class persuasion?"

"You would be correct," said the lady, and gave a tinkling laugh that brought Jack in mind of waterfalls and breaking glass. "A brave soul. You took down two gangsters. They were asking me for money, you know. I couldn't have spared it. My fortunes are rather limited at the moment."

"Just my duties as chief of the GPD, ma'am."

"The Greenwood Police Department? Well, I'll be!" The woman smiled. "Karenna Shedletsky, pleased to meet you."

"Shedletsky?"

"A distant family branch from our Admin Shedletsky. He had a lot of children, you know."

Shedletsky, in fact, was rumored to be a bit of a playboy, and every year there was a scandal in which he wooed a government officialess, a dutchess, or a citizen, or even another Admin. It was a tradition, and even Blox News had a yearly program called "Shedletsky's Lovers: A Yearly List." It usually extended for a few dozen pages. Builderman did not approve, although that was a statement in the realm of "the sky was blue": an absolute, a universal constant.

But this woman did not look like a Shedletsky. Whatever tree this was, John thought, it had a lot of branches, and some of them broke off and became trees of their own.

"He did have a lot of children, yes."

"Oh, quite."

They were quiet for a while.

"Well," said Karenna, "I will be eagerly observing your progress in this town. Farewell, John of Greenwood Town." She rolled up the window, but not without a little knowing smile. Then the sedan rolled away.


	3. ACT 3

John was sitting at his desk, sorting through paperwork, when the phone rang and he looked up in annoyance. His desk, the Greenwood Town being a thin-spread-budget locale, was made of inferior wood, and not even laquered over. The paper was raggedy-edged, due to being made sloppily out of, largely, other paper. Sometimes the contents of the other papers that had gone into the paper weren't even washed off, and you'd get snippits of news when you did your paperwork that would help you handle current events.

He picked up the old-fashioned phone.

"'Ello?"

The voice at the other end spoke five seconds afer John had given his greeting. It sounded like someone who had smoked far too many cigars and drank far too little water.

"You, lawman," it said.

"Yes?" said John, with a nasty feeling.

"You arrested our boys. Why'd you do that, lawman?"

"They were causing a disturbance… sir?" John replied.

"The lady didn't pay her toll. You know we have rights to the bridge."

"It's a public bridge, sir," said John. "You've no right to toll passersby. That is illegal, and punishable by-"

"Bring our boys back," the voice said, and it was louder and more intense. "Or someone dies. And you can be sure it's going to be you. But we won't hurry. We'll take our time… let you stew in fear… then we'll catch you and slowly kill you. And by slowly, I mean slowly."

"Assaulting an officer of the GPD is punishable by life in prison," Jack informed the caller.

"I've been in prison for life. Twice," the voice growled. "Believe me, it's nothing. Meet me at the corner of Killing Street and Laceration Avenue. Do not be late. I shall expect you at 8:45 PM, with my boys. You will return them or you will die."

The line went dead. It sounded as though the line had been cut.

Jack put the phone down.

OOO

He arrived at the corner of Killing Street and Laceration Avenue. The name was an example of the Greenwood Town's morbid humor, for the city was a deadly place where you could get mugged in any seedy back alley or even in the open streets. Plus, gangsters would shoot you on sight if they thought you looked suspicious.

John saw, in the shadows of the corner, a figure leaning against a brick wall. It was bulky and looked as though it were stuffed with paper. The man looked up as John approached. Light glinted off something sapphire.

"You're here," it said. It was the same voice that had issued over the phone. John nodded, and produced the two gangsters. Their hands were cuffed behind their backs.

"Good, you brought them," said the shadowy man. The two gangsters immediately stood to attention, and looked as though they wanted to salute.

"Doctor Slate," they muttered.

The shadowy figure stepped out of the shadows, into the light of a streetlamp. The yellow beam caught the large stony hands, and gleamed off the shiny gemstone eyes. Doctor Slate looked down at the gangsters. "My sons," he said, holding both hands over their heads. "You are with me now. You are safe." They smiled. Doctor Slate's face was still grim, but the eyes shifted their hue to a kind of purple which conveyed caring.

"Er, so it's over, Doctor Slate?" John asked.

Slate turned his head to him, and the eyes reverted to their icy blue tones.

"I don't believe so," he rumbled. "You've hurt my boys, have you?"

"It was necessary in the line of duty," Jack explained hurriedly.

"Hurting my boys is not right, not moral," said Doctor Slate.

He produced a gun.

"Not moral, not right. Not right, not moral. It's a crime against me and my boys." The gun was cocked. "Crimes can't go unpunished." The gun was held up. Jack began to draw his gun, too.

And then the woman appeared.

"Bugger!" screamed Red Hat, as he ran behind Doctor Slate.

The woman danced across the street, two ten-bullet revolvers firing simultaneously. As the bullets ran out, she increased her pace, all the while reloading. Her brown hair swung around her shoulders and brushed her white latex suit. John stared as she unloaded a round into Doctor Slate. And did absolutely nothing. The rock simply blocked it. Doctor Slate's eyes turned a bright green, and he grinned. The teeth inside the mouth were flat slabs of metal. The edges were sharp, like trowels. He distended his jaw and lunged at the woman. The teeth clamped down on her arm. She dropped the revolver in that hand, and with the other revolver fired a few bullets into his metal teeth.

BRINGGGGGGGGG!

The bullets made a resounding noise. Doctor Slate stepped back, releasing his grip, clutching his head.

"Run!," cried the woman. She grabbed John's arm and took him away down a side alley.

John looked at her.

"Karenna?"

"Yes," she hissed. Handing him a bottle with cloth protruding from the top, she ordered him to light the end on fire. John took out a lighter, and lit the end.

"Throw it," she said. John did so. It smashed on the ground at the alley mouth, and a curtain of flames soon obscured the street beyond. He heard the shouts of the gangsters as they arrived at the fire.

"Run," said Karenna. They did.


	4. ACT 4

The little door opened, and Karenna Shedletsky entered along with John. The bartender looked up from cleaning his glass, and gave a wide grin.

"Good evening, Hallifer," Karenna said.

"Evenin', m'lady," said Hallifer.

"Two drinks," said Karenna.

"Yes, m'lady."

The bartender exited. Karenna and John sat at the bar, and waited.

"Y'think they're after you for the toll?" John asked. "I have to ask this, 'cos of my duty as the chief of police."

"Not just that," said Karenna.

"Explain."

"Well," began Karenna, "Doctor Slate's family and my family have had a feud ever since his father Gemlocker was killed by Telamon II in late 2012. Slate wants to get revenge, so he is after me. I've been trained in self-defense. So, I'm good."

"But the gang's all over the city!" exclaimed John. "They'll tear you to ribbons, Shedletsky or not!"

"Well, at least I have a valiant police chief defending me at every turn," said Karenna, and smiled cheekily.

"Ma'am, I am an officer-" John stopped. Because he knew, deep down, that with enough will he could put a cap on the gang's reign. And this woman, descended from Shedletsky, could be the missing half to the equation. He smiled back. "Yes," he said. "Yes I am. I am a valiant police chief, and I will protect you, ma'am."

"Good," she said. "Hallifer has something to give us before we leave."

Hallifer entered at that moment, with two shotguns in his hands. He held them out to the two, who took them. John smiled, because when he was a lad out in the country his father had taught him to use a shotgun and to use it well.

"The shotgun fires slugs," Hallifer said. "The slugs explode when this button is pressed." He indicated a red button on the side of the shotgun. "Do not," he stressed, "ever, EVER press the button when the slugs are still inside the shotgun's ammo case. That would be bad for you and for whoever you're near to, and also for the neighboring houses." He grinned, and walked away.

"What to do now, brave officer?" said Karenna, with false sappiness.

"What to do?" said Jack. "I'll tell you what to do." He brought his shotgun to a vertical angle, and cocked it. "Lock… and load."


	5. ACT 5

It was 10:27 PM, approximately, when Karenna and John arrived at the corner of Killing Street and Laceration Avenue. There were two gangsters smoking joints and trying to look cool even though their pants were slowly but surely falling from around their waists. As Jack and Karenna entered their vicinity, they glanced up and tentatively drew handguns.

"Surprise," said Karenna, and shot a slug at the pavement in front of them. She pressed the red button, and the gangsters vanished in a fireball. When it cleared, there was an almost comical burn mark on the ground with smoke curling up. Behind where the gangsters had stood, there was a metal door. John and Karenna entered silently, and hid behind a crate.

"Get the drugs over here," he heard a gangster say. A man pushed a crate to their hiding place.

"Surprise," Karenna said again before blowing up the crate of drugs and the person pushing it. She loaded another one, but John had already blown up the gangsters who had come to investigate. More gangsters rode into the building in a purple exotic car.

"Kill them," said the driver, and the gangsters opened fire with Timmy Guns.

"KARENNA, I'LL PROTECT YOU!" declared John, and firing another slug at the exotic car didn't blow it up this time. Instead, he loaded and shot another, then another. Finally, he pressed the red button, and the explosion was so great that the roof was propelled from its foundations.

"Clever," observed Karenna when the smoke cleared. "Very clever."

"Not clever enough, Karenna Shedletsky," said Doctor Slate as he entered the room. He raised a shotgun and fired a slug at John. It hit the ground in front of him, and he backed away quickly. The shell exploded, and Karenna looked at Doctor Slate in disbelief.

"How did you get that?" she asked incredulously. Doctor Slate laughed, and motioned for someone to enter. It was…

"Diddles?!" John said.

"Hallifer? When did you shave?" Karenna said.

"What?!" They stared at each other, astonished. Then John pointed an accusing finger at Diddles/Hallifer.

"You were a double agent all this time?!" he exclaimed.

"MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes!" said Diddles/Hallifer. Jack thought that Diddles/Halifer was enjoying this immensely. "I am a double agent! MWAHA! AHA! HA! WAHAHA!"

"And I hired him," said Doctor Slate. "He created those shotguns and mine, and he knows how to resist them."

"Yeah," said Diddles/Hallifer. "Suck on that one, ballspawn!'

"Sure, okay," said Karenna.

"Bullshit!" John exclaimed. "You're still on my side, Diddles! You were respected as a good (if flawed) citizen! Please… come back!"

"No!" screamed Diddles/Hallifer in glee. "I am irredeemably evil!" He laughed and pressed the red button by accident with the side of his torso. There was a whoomph, and the two were gone as quickly as they had come.

"Mother of Dusek," muttered John. "That was quick."


	6. Epilogue (and author's note)

The following day, an announcement was released in the press.

**GREENWOOD TOWN USHERS IN A NEW ERA OF PEACE!**

**Today, police chief John Derpston I, 39 years of age, has released a new criminal policy. He has banned all gangs from the Greenwood Town, and is hoping that this will repair the great rips in the community that have been there for so long.**

**"It's a great achievement," he says. "I hope that this will be remembered. If it isn't then someday it will, because when Karenna Shedletsky ascends to Shedletsky's spot in the Admin Council, she'll tell everyone."**

**Karenna Shedletsky declined to comment beyond a few words:**

**"What a brave fellow."**

THE END

_Author's note: Sure, this story is short, and it's kind of stupid, but hopefully it clears up why the Greenwood Town was eligible to harbor refugees during the evacuation of the Town of Robloxia, as well as detailing some history. 'Tis all._


End file.
